Rep. Kenyatta issues statement on several weekend shootings in his district

Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta    March 21, 2022

PHILADELPHIA, March 21 – State Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta, D-Phila., has issued a statement in response to several shootings near Temple University this past weekend that news reports say have left both students and residents "on edge."

“I am sick and tired of continuously having to issue statements because someone was shot and killed; people in our communities are sick and tired of constantly living in fear that their life could be taken,” Kenyatta said. “It is beyond time that we get serious about addressing gun violence in the city of Philadelphia! To seriously address and eradicate this issue, we must declare an emergency, pass gun-violence-prevention legislation and address root causes of the violence along with investing in our youth.”

Declaring an emergency, passing legislation and addressing root causes and investing in youth are all part of Kenyatta’s three-point approach that he laid out at a news conference in December 2021. 

Four victims are in stable condition after two separate shootings, according to police.

The first shooting happened around 10:30 Friday evening near Broad Street and Cecil B. Moore Avenue, where two teenage girls were shot, according to police. 

The second shooting took place near North Gratz and West Diamond streets after someone got out of a car and began shooting into a crowd of people, authorities said.

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